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1957 Map of Tharpe

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Tharpe
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Tharpe stands at the center of this Tennessee landscape during a period of massive hydraulic engineering. The Cumberland River still flows within its natural banks, but the presence of Lake Barkley (Dam Under Construction) signals the coming transformation of the valley. To the west, Kentucky Lake is already established, its boundary marked by the Kentucky Lake Res Bdy. This map is a significant resource for genealogists, as it documents dozens of small family burial grounds and community landmarks before the landscape was further altered by reservoir flooding.

The topography is defined by the Tennessee Valley Divide, with numerous hollows such as Crutcher Hollow and Jackson Hollow carving through the terrain. Local social centers are anchored by rural congregations at Oak Grove Ch, Mount Zion Ch, and Hopewell Ch. Family names are preserved in the locations of the Shemwell Cem, Dunlap Cem, and Bruton Cem, providing a precise look at the Stewart County settlement pattern in the late 1950s.